Obesity has taken over the U.S. and now poses a threat to national security. Our younger generation is so overweight according to the standards, they are now considered to be ineligible and that decreases the hiring pool of good quality candidates.
According to
Whit Johnson, CBS News Correspondent; the Pentagon spends more than $1 billion dollars a year on medical care relating to weight and obesity. Those dollars are being spent on men and women that are already in service.
Recruiters across the country are searching for those who can qualify and are finding it to be a difficult task. According to Army recruiter Sgt Laura Peterson, "the population has gotten bigger". Over the past 50 years, the number of women that are ineligible because of weight issues has tripled and the number of men has doubled.
27% of young adults, 17-24 years old are too overweight to serve. The military says it is teaming up with first lady Michelle Obama to make changes in the nutrition standards for military dining facilities across the country. This is a positive move toward helping the service men and women already serving, but does nothing for the youth that is ineligible to enter the services.
We need to approach the issue with the youth by providing nutrition and exercise options prior to the initial application process. I am not sure how the recruiters approach the issue with a teen that comes in to sign up only to find out they are not eligible because of their weight.
I have a couple of ideas that can help a prospective applicant;
- If a teen is denied entrance due to weight problems, offer referrals to Certified Personal Trainers that can help them lose the excess weight and get stronger and as a CPT offer discounts
- Get a group of teens signed up with trainers like myself who could offer a pre basic training of sorts to create stronger, healthier applicants who can pass the requirements
- Parents who know their teens are interested in joining the services could sit down and talk with their children to approach the issue in a smart, safe manner
- Offer an incentive to trainers by covering some of the cost of training
I have trained women by using the actual testing protocols to attain the fitness level needed to pass the physical fitness testing, but more importantly, one should start soon enough so they can not only pass the initial entrance but endure basic training and the brutal physical process they will have to go through on a daily basis.
We can tackle this problem if we use common sense and create a well balanced exercise and nutrition program prior to their entrance and by making the youth aware of what is expected of them as a service member.
Contact me if you have a teen who needs help.
